Fish Oil Protects Eyesight

New research found that women who consume fish or fish oil frequently have a reduced risk of developing eye disorders like age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Fish oil is an abundance source of omega-3 fatty acids which protects eyesight. In this research, a dietary analysis has been carried out by Harvard researchers on more than 38,000 women. Women who consume one or more servings of fish every week had a 42% decreased risk of AMD than those who ate fish generally one time in a month or less.

At the starting of the study, none participants had AMD and all were in their 40s. Only women were included in the study. Researchers noted that older women were more likely to eat greater amounts of both omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) and also omega-6 fatty acids (arachidonic acid and linoleic acid). Women who ate the higher amount of omega-3 fatty acids were found to have a 38% reduced risk of developing AMD in comparison to those who consumed the slightest. The researchers observed that most of the lower risk was related to fish oil or fish diets like dark-meat fish or canned tuna.

William G. Christen, study author cautioned, "Our observational data needs to be confirmed in randomized trials. But already the message seems to be simple and strong. Fish oil, that is the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, that have long been thought to be protective against cardiovascular disease may also be of significant benefit in the primary prevention of AMD among women who have no disease or have undetected early signs of disease, and have not yet been diagnosed with AMD."